ECONOMY

Market for bioplastics change in the coming years!

Bioplastics are on the rise and will continue to capture a larger share of the plastics industry year
after year.

Grand View Research stated:

Bioplastics controlled less than a 2 percent share of the plastics industry in 2015.

Prediction:
 By 2020, bioplastics will control a 5 percent market share of the total plastics market
 By 2030, controlled a 40 percent share
 In over a decade, bioplastics will making a $324 billion-dollar enterprise

Main reasons for these predictions are based on:

 Consumer demand
They are becoming more aware of the dangers petroleum-based plastics and the benefits of
sustainable plastics.

 Corporate vision
Consumers Corporations are employing sustainability officers to incorporate best-practices
into their manufacturing and procurement processes.
Example:
Coca-Cola has introduced PlantBottle, a new plastic bottle packaging made up of 30% plant-
based materials.

 Practicality of design
Bioplastic manufacturers are designing new formulations that meet or exceed performance
standards of traditional plastics.
  Costs
Using Design for Manufacturing (DFM) practices when developing formulations, bioplastic
manufacturers are driving costs down by ensuring scalability and resourcing materials
properly.

SOCIAL
Job creation
-The use of bioplastics has been found to offer a social opportunity in the anticipated global net
increase in jobs. The employment sector is estimated to remain steady in the manufacturing and
lower supply chain stages, with the increase stemming from those jobs created in the agricultural
sector. This increase is modest, estimated by 2020 to represent around 20,000 new jobs globally,
but remains an opportunity for the bioplastic market.

Consumer confusion over bioplastics’ green claims

- The labelling and marketing of bioplastics as “eco”, “green” or “bio” sends out a misleading
message to consumers, who are likely to perceive them as more environmentally friendly and harm-
free than conventional plastics.
- According to recent research carried out in Germany15;
 57% - never heard of bioplastics
 7% - claim to “know exactly what they are”
 39% - convinced that the raw materials as bioplastic’s resource basis are organically
cultivated
 70% - believe all bioplastics are biodegradable
 Further studies show that people are more likely to discard bioplastics in the belief that they
will biodegrade readily, which could lead to an increase in littering.

ETHICS
While companies are working towards a goal of 100% bioplastic packaging, avoiding petroleum-
based materials entirely is currently almost impossible. The issues this creates in terms of recycling
may jeopardise PET’s eco credentials in the eyes of consumers and stakeholders. Currently, the
former tend to perceive the use of the material as a positive thing but may not be aware of its
potential drawbacks.

This situation happens to Nestlé’s factory when discussing about changing their Nestlé’s packaging
into bioplactics. Their representative packaging environmental specialist Sokhna Gueye said that
they want to lead the development and use of renewable materials but, bioplastics raises several
questions. For example, do they truly enable compostability and minimise environmental impact?
Even when sourced from sustainably managed resources, do bioplastics really address resource
depletion and global warming when one takes into consideration the long-term impact on water use
and agriculture?”

Their company also listed several outlines of the practical issues challenging the food and beverage
giant’s environmental policy. The company’s senior research and development expert Lars
Lundquist said that even there is one compostable packaging, it is not always be accepted because
as a responsible global brand, Nestlé cannot make unsubstantiated or false claims. If it puts
materials into a market where there is no proper process by which customers can dispose of them,
then composting might not be a reality or maybe the lack of infrastructure for recycling their
products or mixed materials will confuse customers. It is about so much more than simply saying a
material is either ‘good’ or ‘bad’ because each material has strengths and weaknesses, and it goes
the same also to bioplastics.

Therefore, many companies is reluctant to go gung-ho into plant-based plastics for their packaging
until the ethics around them are a lot clearer.

REFERENCES
• Grand View Research 2014, European Bioplastics 2013, BCC Research 2017, Nexal Inc. 2012
• https://www.greendotbioplastics.com/growth-bioplastics-industry-means-investors-
economy/
• Better off with bio?-The risk and rewards of bioplastics, 2016